Monitoring Satisfactory Academic Progress

1. Monitoring Satisfactory Academic Progress Kevin Campbell Training Officer Federal Student Aid

2. Federal Student Aid • Kevin Campbell • Training Officer • United States Department of Education • kevin.campbell@ed.gov • 214 661 9488

3. Satisfactory Academic Progress • Consolidates SAP regulations into 34 CFR 668.34 • Administrative capability 668.16 now only refers to policy • Student eligibility in 668.32 still includes as eligibility requirement • Satisfactory progress in 668.34 now contains all elements of SAP • New, but have been in effect since July 1, 2011

4. Satisfactory Academic Progress • Consolidates SAP regulations into 34 CFR 668.34 • 34 CFR 668.34 is easier to understand if you break it down into 3 portions: • First, Section (a) • Next, Section (b) • Finally, Section (c) OR (d) -Not both sections-

5. Why Break it Down Into 3 Sections? • Section (a) explains what you must do and what your policy must contain to be considered reasonable • Section (b) defines important terms used in assessing SAP • Section (c) OR (d) will apply to you and shows when and how you must assess SAP depending on if you assess SAP once a year OR once every payment period

6. Satisfactory Academic Progress • SAP is a Title IV requirement for student eligibility • A student who is not making SAP is no longer eligible for Title IV aid • As is the case in many Title IV rules, there ARE exceptions

7. SAP Policy • SAP policy required elements include • Measurement of student’s progress at each evaluation • GPA that a student must achieve at each evaluation (qualitative standard) • Pace of progression to ensure completion within the maximum time frame • Quantitative Standard

8. SAP Policy • SAP policy required elements include • How GPA and pace of completion affected by • Incompletes • Withdrawals • Repetitions • Transfers of credit from other schools • At a minimum, school must count transfer hours, accepted toward completion of student’s program, as both hours attempted and hours completed

9. SAP – Qualitative Element • HEA Requirement that student must have 2.0 on a 4.0 scale, or its equivalent, after two years • For programs greater than two academic years • End of second academic year • Regardless of how many credits earned or grade level

10. SAP – Quantitative Element • Quantitative element has two components • Maximum timeframe • Period of time that student has to complete the program of study and still be making SAP • Pace of Progression • An ongoing measure that ensures student is on track to complete program in the maximum timeframe

11. Maximum Time Frame • For undergraduate programs of study, must be no longer than 150% of published length of educational program • For credit hour programs, as measured in credit hours attempted • More precisely defined than in the past • For clock hour programs, as measured in cumulative clock hours required to complete and expressed in calendar time

12. Change of Major • Still in place is the longstanding policy that schools may set their own SAP policy dealing with changes of major as they relate to maximum time frame • SAP policy may limit the number of times that a student may change majors and have the maximum time frame recalculated

13. Pace of Progression • School’s policy must specify • Pace of progression required to ensure student completes within maximum time frame and that pace is measured at each evaluation • Pace calculated by dividing cumulative hours student successfully completed by cumulative hours student has attempted • Remedial coursework may be excluded

14. How Often Is SAP Evaluated? • For programs of study that are one academic year or less in length, school must evaluate SAP at end of each payment period • For programs of study longer than one academic year • School must evaluate at least annually to correspond with end of a payment period • School may evaluate at end of each payment period

15. Definitions • Financial Aid Warning • Financial Aid Probation • Appeal • Academic Plan • All defined for Title IV purposes NOT academic purposes

16. School Options • F/A Warning status may be used by schools that measure at end of each payment period • F/A Probation status may be used by schools who have an appeal process • Academic Plan is a tool that schools with an appeal process may choose to implement • Appeal process may be used by schools, if they wish

17. School Options • Financial Aid Warning • Financial Aid Probation • Academic Plan • Appeal • School may choose to implement one, several, all or none of these options

18. SAP - Warning • Financial Aid Warning • You cannot use this status unless you evaluate SAP at the end of each payment period • School may establish when it is used in policy • Status assigned to a student who fails to make SAP • No appeal necessary for this status • Student is not making SAP while in this status • Student may continue to receive Title IV aid for one payment period

19. SAP - Probation • Financial Aid Probation • Status assigned by an institution to a student who fails to make SAP and who has successfully appealed and has had eligibility for Title IV aid reinstated (i.e. appeal approved) • Institution may impose conditions for student’s continued eligibility to receive Title IV aid • Student is not making SAP in this status • Student may receive T4 aid in this status for one payment period

20. SAP - Probation • While student is on financial aid probation, status must be checked each payment period even if non-probationary students are checked less frequently • If it appears that student can return to SAP status after one payment period, school may choose to implement an academic plan or not

21. SAP - Probation • If it appears that student will take multiple payment periods to reach the status of SAP, the school may implement an academic plan immediately • The first payment period under the academic plan is probationary • Subsequent payment periods under the academic plan are not probationary and the student is making SAP under the provisions of the academic plan • Conversely, if the student is not meeting the provisions of the academic plan, he or she is not making SAP and is, therefore, ineligible for T4

22. Probation & Appeals • FA Probation always follows a successful appeal • The probationary period granted as a result of the appeal is limited to one payment period

23. SAP - Appeal • Process by which a student who is not meeting institution’s SAP policy petitions for reconsideration of eligibility for Title IV aid, due to unusual circumstances • Appeal policy must specify the conditions under which a student may appeal • Student’s appeal must include • Why he or she failed to make SAP AND • What has changed that will allow student to make SAP in the future

24. If School Decides to Grant the Appeal • Two things can happen • School has determined that the student • Will be able to make SAP standards by end of next payment period and decides to put the student into probation with no academic plan • This is the probationary payment period • Probation may still have requirements OR • Will be placed on academic plan (AP) that will ensure student is able to meet SAP standards by a specific point in time in the future • The first payment period of the AP is the probationary payment period

25. Academic Plan • AP must have a point in time identified when student will be making SAP as defined by the School’s SAP Policy • This cannot be 20 years down the road but it could be beyond the maximum timeframe if the school wishes and allows in its policy • Point in time may be the successful conclusion of the program of study

26. Academic Plan • The AP is that student’s SAP policy • If student fails to meet the requirements of the Academic Plan, the student is not making SAP • Not making SAP = Loss of Title IV eligibility

27. Probation Then an AP • School granted appeal and determined the student could be back on track in one payment period • Placed student into probation, no AP • End of probation, student is still not making SAP • Student is ineligible • Cannot be placed automatically on AP • Student could appeal again…

28. Probation Then an AP • This is the student’s second appeal • School must review information stating • Why the student failed to make SAP at the end of the probation payment period • What had changed that caused the student to not make SAP during the probationary payment period • Why the student will be able to meet SAP under the terms of the academic plan • If appeal is granted in this situation • Student goes immediately on AP, but the first payment period will still be considered probationary • Not second probation but the first associated with this appeal

29. Summary • Let’s summarize what happens depending on whether… • The school checks SAP at the end of each payment period OR • The school checks SAP less frequently • e.g. once a year

30. Evaluate Each Payment Period • At an institution that evaluates SAP each payment period, if student loses eligibility for Title IV aid • Student may be placed on Financial Aid Warning for one payment period • After the warning period, if student is not making SAP, the student may be allowed to appeal the loss of Title IV eligibility

31. Evaluate Each Payment Period • At an institution that evaluates SAP each payment period, if student loses eligibility for Title IV aid (cont’d) • If the appeal is successful, the student may be • placed on Financial Aid Probation for one payment period OR • placed immediately on an academic plan and the first payment period will be probationary

32. Evaluate Each Payment Period • At an institution that evaluates SAP each payment period, if student loses eligibility for Title IV aid (cont’d) • After Financial Aid Probation, if the student was not placed on an academic plan • Student must be making SAP OR • Student must successfully appeal again in order to be placed on an academic plan • The first payment period of the AP would be probationary OR • Student loses Title IV eligibility

33. Does Not Evaluate Each Payment Period • At an institution that evaluates SAP less often than each payment period, if a student loses eligibility for Title IV aid • School cannot use the automatic F/A Warning status • Student, after a successful appeal, may be • Placed on Financial Aid Probation for one payment period OR • Placed immediately on an academic plan with the first payment period being probationary

34. Does Not Evaluate Each Payment Period • At an institution that evaluates SAP less often than each payment period, if a student loses eligibility for Title IV aid • After Financial Aid Probation, if the student was not placed on an academic plan • student must be making SAP OR • Student must successfully appeal again in order to be placed on an academic plan, and the first payment period will be probationary OR • Student loses Title IV eligibility

35. If School Implements All Options • School exercises its option to evaluate SAP at the end of every payment period • School chooses to have a warning status • School chooses to have an appeal process • School chooses to have a probationary status • School chooses to use an academic plan

36. PAYMENT PERIOD WARNING NOT MAKING SAP NOT MAKING SAP APPEAL

37. School grants appeal & believes student will be making SAP in 1 payment period School grants appeal but believes student will not be making SAP in 1 payment period School does not grant appeal Probation Acad. Plan No Title IV Probation

38. PROBATION & NOT PLACED ON AN ACADEMIC PLAN NOT MAKING SAP

39. School does not grant appeal School grants appeal No Title IV Probation Acad. Plan

40. No Lifetime Limitation on SAP Statuses • One warning payment period means not two consecutive warning payment periods • May be multiple warning payment periods throughout student’s academic career

41. No Lifetime Limitation on SAP Statuses • One probation payment period means not two consecutive probation payment periods linked to the same appeal • May be multiple probation payment periods throughout student’s academic career

42. No Limitation on SAP Statuses • School may allow one appeal or multiple appeals or NO appeals • School may craft academic plan as it sees fit • May choose to limit the # or not • Student should take ownership of the academic plan and understand its requirements

43. SAP - Notifications • Required SAP notifications • Institution must notify student of results of SAP review that impacts the student’s eligibility for Title IV aid • Institution must describe how a student who has failed SAP reestablishes eligibility for Title IV aid • If the institution has an appeal process, must describe the specific elements required to appeal the loss of Title IV eligibility due to a lack of SAP

44. Thank You TASFAA!!

45. Contact Information We appreciate your feedback & comments Kevin Campbell Training Officer Federal Student Aid kevin.campbell@ed.gov 214.661.9488

46. Supervisor of Training Officers Requests Feedback from FAAs Jo Ann Borel Supervisor of Training Officers United States Department of Education/Federal Student Aid 46

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